Big Deal (game show)

Last updated

Big Deal
Presented by Mark DeCarlo
Narrated by John Cramer
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesStone-Stanley Productions
New World Entertainment
Original release
Network FOX
ReleaseSeptember 1 (1996-09-01) 
October 6, 1996 (1996-10-06)
Related

Big Deal was an American television game show that aired in 1996 on the Fox network. It was hosted by Mark DeCarlo and packaged by Stone-Stanley Productions, with swing group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy as the house band.

Contents

Due to low ratings, it only lasted six episodes (only three of which were seen in their entirety by East Coast viewers, due to NFL doubleheaders). It was announced in TV Guide that the series would return for spring 1997, in a half-hour format with Heidi Mark joining DeCarlo as co-host, but ultimately never returned to the schedule.

Format

The show's format followed that of Let's Make a Deal ; however, stunts similar to those featured on Truth or Consequences were also played. Some of these stunts were played in order to earn a smaller prize, which could then be gambled for an unknown behind a curtain or a box, and other stunts awarded different prizes based on how well (or how poorly) the contestant performed.

Some of the games played involved the contestants participating in the studio itself:

Notable to many of these stunts was the overt destruction by the contestant to his own property in an attempt to win a better prize. Examples of such stunts included:

  • Throwing baseballs at the windows of one's house in order to win new furnishings (and new windows) for the home;
  • Destroying one's own automobile with a sledgehammer – the contestant had 60 seconds, and at the end of that time, if the car was judged by an insurance appraiser – (Tim Davis from SCA Appraisal Company) [1] to be totaled, [lower-alpha 1] the contestant won a brand new car;
  • Dropping one's own possessions (such as TV sets, golf clubs, etc.) off of a crane onto a giant tic-tac-toe board; getting three in a row won a larger prize package.

While DeCarlo played up the fact that losing one of these games resulted in nothing more than a tragic loss, a disclaimer at the end of every episode stated that contestants who damaged their own possessions would be reimbursed money according to the value of their belongings before they were destroyed.

The Big Deal of the evening was played like earlier versions of Let's Make a Deal. DeCarlo would go back into the audience and invite contestants who had won something to trade their prize(s) in for a shot at the Big Deal, starting with the top winner and working downward. After two players were selected, they were presented with three large screens, one of which contained the Big Deal, a prize package usually worth more than any other prize offered that day. The top winner got first selection, and the contents of each of the three screens were revealed, usually in ascending order.

Proposed revival

In 1998, Buena Vista Television (now Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution) wanted to revive Let's Make a Deal with Gordon Elliott [2] as host, planning to launch it for syndication in the fall 1999 season, but the planned revival never made it to air.

Let's Make a Deal eventually resurfaced on NBC in primetime in 2003 with Billy Bush as host, but this was version cancelled due to low ratings. The show was then revived again in daytime on CBS in 2009 with Wayne Brady as host, and is still airing as of 2024.

Notes

  1. According to California law at the time, the car was considered totaled if the damage exceeded 75% of the Kelley Blue Book value of the car.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game show</span> Type of television or radio program where contestants compete for prizes

A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating where necessary. The history of the game shows dates back to the late 1930s when both radio and television game shows were broadcast. The genre became popular in the United States in the 1950s, becoming a regular feature of daytime television.

<i>The Price Is Right</i> American television game show

The Price Is Right is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their 1956–1965 show of the same name, the new version added many distinctive gameplay elements. Contestants are selected from the studio audience: the announcer calls their name, asking that they "Come on down!", the show's famous catchphrase.

<i>Hollywood Squares</i> American television game show

Hollywood Squares is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the same network. The board for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The stars are asked questions by the host and the contestants judge the truth of their answers to gain squares in the right pattern to win the game.

<i>Lets Make a Deal</i> American game show

Let's Make a Deal is a television game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created and produced by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall, the latter serving as its host for nearly 30 years.

Remote Control is an American TV game show that ran on MTV for five seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program and first game show. A concurrent syndicated version of the series ran during the 1989–1990 season and was distributed by Viacom. Three contestants answered trivia questions on movies, music, and television, many of which were presented in skit format.

<i>Beat the Clock</i> American television game show

Beat the Clock is an American television game show. Contestants attempted to complete challenges such as physical stunts within a time limit in order to win prizes. The show was a creation of Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions.

<i>Fear Factor</i> Game show

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled Now or Neverland.

<i>What Would You Do?</i> (1991 TV program) American TV series or program

What Would You Do? is a 30-minute television show hosted by Marc Summers shown on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1993. Robin Marrella acted as the on-camera stagehand for the show's first season. Both Summers and Marrella performed their respective duties on Double Dare, also on Nickelodeon. The show was produced in Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Florida; some early segments were produced at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

<i>Think Fast</i> (1989 game show) American TV series or program

Think Fast is an American children's game show which aired on Nickelodeon from May 1, 1989, to March 30, 1990, with reruns airing weekly until June 29, 1991.

<i>Make the Grade</i> American television series

Make the Grade is a children's game show that aired from October 2, 1989, to September 14, 1990, on Nickelodeon.

<i>Fun House</i> (American game show) Childrens television game show, 1988–1991

Fun House is an American children's television game show that aired from September 5, 1988 to April 13, 1991. The first two seasons aired in daily syndication, with the Fox network picking it up and renaming it Fox's Fun House for its third and final season.

<i>The Big Break</i> American TV series or program

The Big Break is a reality television program broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show's premise was to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003.

<i>Singled Out</i> American dating game show on MTV (1995–1998)

Singled Out is an American dating game show created by Burt Wheeler & Sharon Sussman which originally ran on MTV from 1995 to 1998. Each episode was split between 50 single women competing for a date with one male contestant, and 50 single men competing for a date with one female contestant.

<i>Split Second</i> (game show) American game show

Split Second is an American game show that was created by Monty Hall and Stefan Hatos and produced by their production company, Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions. Three contestants compete to answer three-part trivia questions to win cash.

Three on a Match is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart that ran on NBC from August 2, 1971 to June 28, 1974 on its daytime schedule. The host was Bill Cullen and Don Pardo served as announcer on most episodes, with Bob Clayton and NBC staffers Wayne Howell and Roger Tuttle substituting at times.

<i>Treasure Hunt</i> (American game show) 1956 American TV series or program

Treasure Hunt, also known as The New Treasure Hunt during its 1970s run, is an American television game show that aired throughout the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. In the show, contestants selected a mystery package in the hopes of winning cash or prizes.

<i>Gameshow Marathon</i> (American game show) American TV series or program

Gameshow Marathon is an American television program which aired on CBS from May 31 to June 29, 2006. It is based on the United Kingdom series Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon which aired on ITV in 2005. It also aired in Canada on CTV.

The Price Is Right is a British television game show based on the US version of the same name. It originally aired on ITV from 24 March 1984 to 8 April 1988 and was hosted by Leslie Crowther. The show later briefly moved to Sky One for one series as The New Price is Right from 4 September 1989 to 31 August 1990 with Bob Warman as the host.

<i>The Price Is Right</i> (1956 American game show) American game show

The Price Is Right is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, wherein contestants placed successive bids on merchandise prizes with the goal of bidding closest to each prize's actual retail price without surpassing it. The show was a precursor to the current and best-known version of the program, which premiered in 1972 on CBS's daytime schedule. It makes The Price Is Right one of only a few game show franchises to have aired in some form across all three of the Big Three television networks.

References

  1. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Tim Davis - 1996 on Big Deal game show. YouTube .
  2. Martindale, Wink (June 20, 2018). "Here is an interesting sales sheet for a Gordon Elliott hosted version of "Let's Make a Deal". How do you think he would have done?". Facebook . Retrieved June 20, 2018.